Glastonbury Festival's tactics for managing crowds

Glastonbury Festival, one of the world’s most famous music events, takes place every year in Somerset, England. This year, the festival organizers made a big change to help manage the large crowds that usually fill the site. They decided to sell fewer tickets than usual, hoping that this would give everyone more space to enjoy the festival. The event is known for being packed with people, which can sometimes make it hard to move around or get to different stages and attractions. By reducing the number of tickets, the organizers wanted to make the experience more enjoyable and less overwhelming for everyone attending.

To help with crowd control, the festival also introduced a new area called the Dragon’s Tail. This extra field allowed the 200,000 festival-goers to spread out more across the huge Worthy Farm site. Emily Eavis, one of the main organizers, explained that people have changed the way they move around the festival since the Covid pandemic. She noticed that festival-goers now tend to move in groups, almost like a herd, which can make certain areas feel even more crowded. To address this, the organizers put up more barriers and signs to guide people and added more security staff and stewards to help direct the flow of the crowd.

People working at the festival noticed the difference. A woman working at an ice cream van said that while it was still busy, the crowds were better managed this year. She said the stewards and security staff seemed to know exactly where to send people, which helped keep things running smoothly. Festival-goers also appreciated the changes. One person said that last year felt too crowded and overwhelming, making it hard to get to different places. This year, with more barriers and better organization, it felt much more comfortable and less stressful. Sally Cordon, a steward at the festival, said her job is to stand at busy intersections and make sure people don’t get hurt. She said she has never seen any trouble at Glastonbury and that everyone seems to be having a great time. The organizers hope that by making these changes, they can keep the festival fun and safe for everyone who attends.